Hmmm, so the authors are worried about potential vulnerabilities in connected, embedded systems? The electrical grid already has many connected, embedded systems - and I've not heard of any significant hacks, probably because electrical utilities are actually pretty good at securing their devices and networks. I think embedded systems are easier to protect than general purpose PCs. Companies like http://www.Mocana.com make security components for embedded systems, which are highly likely to be adopted by smart grid manufacturers (if they haven't been adopted already). Overall, I'd say this is much ado about nothing.
